Happy Halloween!
by minty-ships
Summary: A long-ish one shot about the build up to (and day/night of) Will and Nico's first Halloween together, as a couple.


"Happy Halloween!"

Will frowned down at the notes he was writing for a second, before putting the pen down and turning to look at his boyfriend.

"It's… September. _First_."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"It's not Halloween. It's barely _fall._" Will shifted around slightly so he was actually facing Nico, leaning back against the desk as he assessed him. "Why are you bugging me about Halloween _now_?"

Nico's expression shifted into one of mock pain, and he folded his arms. "September is _basically _Halloween-"

"It's _really not-_"

"_Wow._" He tilted his head up as though he'd been offended. "Fine. I get it. You hate me and you hate Halloween-"

"Woah, hey, I don't hate _Halloween_," Will injected quickly, holding up his hands, trying to keep a smile from stretching across his face. "Halloween's great! When it's not in September."

"Just me, then," huffed Nico, before flopping down dramatically onto the chair next to Will. "I can't believe this. I came all the way over here for this."

Will hummed and let the smile win, nudging at his boyfriends leg with his foot. "Why _did _you come over here? Just to unseasonably wish me a happy Halloween?"

"It's not unseasonal," countered Nico, scowling still, but Will could tell by his eyes he didn't mean it. "I was being a good boyfriend."

"Hm." Will moved his foot so it was fully resting against Nico's leg. The contact felt more grounding than it probably should've – he missed his boyfriend a _lot _when they both had their own activities to deal with. "Finished early for the day, huh?"

Nico shrugged dismissively, but the glint in his eye and slight twitch of his mouth told Will he'd hit the nail on the head. "Pegasi don't like me. I think Chiron's given up trying to force them to- he just let me off early. Not that that has anything to do with me coming here."

Will grinned. "No, of course not," he agreed. "But since you're here, I'm hoping you won't mind keeping me company? I still need to finish this." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at his notes.

"I suppose. If you don't mind me bugging you, that is."

Will snorted softly and leaned forward to press a quick cheek against the other boy's cheek. "I think I'll live," he said as he moved away, trying not to focus on Nico's slightly-pink cheeks. "_Especially _if you explain why you're so eager to celebrate Halloween."

Nico tilted his chin towards his chest. Since they'd been more open with their relationship, Nico had started appreciating PDA more, but he still sometimes got a little flustered by it when he wasn't expecting it.

Nico was way too cute for his own good.

"Halloween is fun," he mumbled, and it took Will a second to realise he was answering his question. _Focus_, he reminded himself. "It's a whole holiday dedicated to ghosts and candy. It's great."

"It's dedicated to other stuff, too," pointed out Will. "Witches. Vampire. W... other general monsters," he amended, quickly. Nico had expressed a vehement dislike for werewolves since his encounter with Lycaon – not that Will could blame him – but the other boy either didn't pick up on his slip up or didn't care.

"Sure, but ghosts are the best part. And-" Nico held up his hand and wiggled his fingers, "they're the only part that really matters to me. Along side the candy."

"Sure, that's fair." Will smiled as he turned back to his notes. "Doesn't justify celebrating in September, though-"

"I-"

"Do you even like pumpkin?"

Nico paused for a second, seeming to consider. "I don't think I've ever had pumpkin," he noted, sounding surprised by the fact. "But I'm sure I _will_."

"Don't be," said Will, dryly. "Pumpkin _sucks. _It tastes like sweet potato."

"I have no idea what a sweet potato tastes like either, but I thought everyone loved pumpkin? Isn't that why you get so many festive drinks around this time?"

"Around October, maybe-" Will ignored Nico's eyeroll here- "but that's not pumpkin, it's pumpkin _spice_. It's got nothing to do with pumpkin. And also, that _does _taste good – it's like an amalgamation of lot's of spices. _Also, how can you not know what a sweet potato tastes like_?"

"Why is it called pumpkin spice if there's no pumpkin?"

"I don't know, to make it seasonal? Because no one likes actual pumpkin?" Will shrugged. "It's just one of those things. Also, you didn't answer my question-"

"It's an incredibly dumb thing-"

"Nico, seriously-" Will put his pen back down – he'd only written about three more lines so far – and turned to give him an incredulous look. "How can you not know what a sweet potato tastes like?"

Nico blinked. "I guess they aren't that popular?" He offered. "I've never had one."

"There's _no way_ you've never eaten a sweet potato," said Will, giving the smallest shake of his head. "You're telling me you've never had sweet potato pie? Sweet potato anything?"

"Nope."

"I refuse to believe that." Will stared at him, dumbfounded for a second, then leaned forward.

His work ended up getting done much later that day, but the Sweet Potato Debate would end up being a notable moment in their relationship for years to come, so it evened out.

Normally, Nico wouldn't care about spending the day on his own – a few years ago, he would've preferred it. Sometimes he still did.

But other days… he blamed Will. The blonde's need to be around people was starting to rub off on him. Or at least, the need to be around one specific person.

When Nico was feeling more stubborn, he'd insist that his frequent visits to Will were more for the other boy's sake than his, and that he just _wanted _his boyfriend not to be alone, even to himself. He never believed it, but he never needed to.

He lasted until mid-afternoon before the boredom became too much to bear, and he hurled himself out of his bed. Will would still be at the infirmary, but it was October, they didn't have a lot of campers around, so he should be free. Free enough for Nico to bug him, anyway, and that was all he needed.

The infirmary was almost completely empty bar one person, almost completely hidden as they crouched behind a cabinet door, only their mop of familiar golden hair visible over the top. Nico slowed his walk as he entered, trying to look suave, and moved so he could see the other boy.

"Happy Halloween," he said as brightly as possible, echoing his statement from earlier that month.

Wil jumped slightly but then whipped around, a grin already forming on his face. "It's _still September_," he pointed out immediately, straightening up. "_Hi_."

"Hi," echoed Nico, shoving his hands in his pockets and trying to supress his smile as he walked forward. "Still hate Halloween, huh?"

"We've been through this. It's not Halloween I hate." Will dropped the box of band aids he was holding onto the side in favour of tugging Nico towards him. He was unnaturally warm for late September. Nico_ hated_ it.

"Right, I forgot. It's just me," he huffed lightly, relaxing into the other boy and letting the heat seep into him.

Will snorted gently, tucking his arms around the other boy. Nico didn't often seek out physical contact, but he was okay with it sometimes, and Will's constant attempts to respect his boundaries had done wonders for making him more comfortable with it. Still, he'd sooner die than have anyone else see him like this.

He was so distracted he almost missed what Will was saying.

"-the unseasonal-ness of it all that gets me, I _said _that."

"A good boyfriend wouldn't care about that. Also, it's _not _unseasonable. Halloween is literally around the corner."

"It's over a month away-"

"My point stands."

Will pressed his cheek against Nico's head and let out a soft laugh, sending a thrill of pleasure through the other boy. "Look, I get the ghost thing-"

"And the candy thing," Nico reminded him, swallowing hard. He didn't have to see Will to know he was rolling his eyes.

"_And _the candy thing, but- it's not even October yet. It's too early for this."

"It's _nearly _October," huffed Nico. "_That _counts-"

"The Halloween candy hasn't even gone on sale yet. No where is selling costumes. I haven't seen a single pumpkin or fake cobweb in any shop I've been to-"

"Okay, but how many shops is that anyway?" Countered Nico, immediately. "You're in camp most of the time. So, what, you're using two or three shops as a basis for the entire country-"

"I know for a _fact _shops don't start selling Halloween stuff until October-"

"It doesn't matter anyway," decided Nico, changing tact. "I don't judge time by capitalist movements-"

"Oh, _gods-_" Will laughed again, his breath hot on Nico's neck, and the other boy tried not to blush. "_First of all_, you've been spending too much time with Lou Ellen. _Second_, what, you don't need to funnel your stubbornness into staying alive anymore so you're using it to try and annoy me?"

"I'm not being stubborn," muttered Nico, his voice quiet. "And it's not my fault you find facts _annoying-_"

"Oh-" Will dragged out the sound into a moan, burying his face fully in Nico's shoulder. Nico swallowed again. "I don't have time to debate this with you," he said, his voice muffled but tinged with amusement. "I'm a busy person. I'm a _doctor._"

"I get it, too busy for me," said Nico airily, trying to keep his voice even. "What's a doctor without patients, anyway?"

"Is that your way of asking what I'm doing?" Will straightened up and kissed his cheek before letting his arms drop. Nico tried not to shiver at the sudden cold. "I'm doing inventory for the month."

"Anything I can help with?" Asked Nico instinctively, turning to face the other (_very close_) boy.

Will looked thoughtful. "I guess you could write the numbers down as I count them?" He phrased it like a question, like he expected Nico to say no.

"Sounds fun," said Nico immediately, and Will snorted in response.

"Yeah, it's a _hoot_," he agreed, grinning. "But it's necessary."

_And it's both of us,_ Nico wanted to add, but he didn't. He didn't need to.

Will turned towards the infirmary door instinctively as he heard footsteps coming towards it, even though he didn't have to. He knew who it was immediately – Nico had taken a short trip to Camp Jupiter over the start of October, and he'd promised he'd stop by as soon as he got back.

Which was _today_.

Besides, no one else ever came to the infirmary after dark – on the off chance something did happen, they went to Chiron first, and _he_ had a distinct and unmistakable gait.

Will positioned himself directly in front of the door and grinned as it swung open.

"Happy Halloween!" He said brightly, a laugh bubbling up in his chest as he took in his boyfriend for the first time in almost a week. He only just saw Nico's expression go from startled to mock-offended before he hurled himself at the other boy, eliciting a soft oof. "I missed you," Will mumbled, wrapping him in a hug.

"I cannot _believe_ you stole my line," said Nico, returning the gesture, not seeming too caught off guard.

"I figured I can't use the 'it's September' line now that it's _actually _October, so this was all I had left."

"And you yanked it out of my unexpecting hands," said Nico, as if he was surprised and disappointed, but then he tucked his face into the crook of Will's neck. "I missed you, too."

"Your nose is cold," Will mumbled in response, and Nico let out a breathy laugh.

"_You're_ just warm-"

"It's cause you're cold blooded." Will pulled back a little. "Come inside properly. It's freezing."

"I repeat, you're just _warm_," countered Nico, but he came in anyway, grinning. "Since you're now admitting it's Halloween-"

"It's not _Halloween_, it's just seasonal-" Will corrected him, but Nico rolled his eyes.

"Since you've decided to _stop being a spoil sport-_ does that mean we can start celebrating?"

"Well, actually-" Will tried not to focus to much on how Nico's eyes lit up when he was excited- "I was going to mention that- the Hermes cabin is going to throw a Halloween party this year, with permission from Chiron and everything- well, I think the permission came mostly from Mr D, but y'know- they're throwing a party," he finished kind of lamely. Nico blinked, seeming to take a second to process it.

Will was about to add that Nico didn't have to go if he didn't want to, but the other boy spoke just as the words reached his tongue. "A party sounds… good," he said, a little uncertainly, and Will couldn't help but feel a flair of happiness. He knew Nico wasn't great with crowds, or people in general, but he also knew he was _trying_, which was really the best Will could hope for.

He'd settle for Nico just becoming _okay_ with it while still avoiding it. He just hated the fact Nico got anxious. He wanted him to be comfortable all the time, however unrealistic that was.

"You don't have to stay long," he hurried to add, hoping he wasn't putting too much pressure on. "Not if you don't want to. Besides, it's a costume party, it's not a lot of people's thing _anyway, _so-"

"I want to go," insisted Nico, his voice gentle. "It could be fun. It can't be awful, anyway, not while we're still _at camp_. But, uh- costume party, huh?"

"You can have a really low effort costume," offered Will. "Like, a hoodie with the words 'I'm a serial killer' on it or something, one of those boring… easy ones."

"Hm," said Nico, thoughtfully, before waving off the concerns. "I'll find a costume later," he decided, stepping forward to tug at Will's sleeve. "We can discuss it some other time if you want. But- I _missed_ you."

"Ah," said Will, eloquently, stumbling towards the other boy. He steadied himself and instead leaned down to press his lips against Nico's. "I missed you too."

"Is that red syrup? Please tell me it's syrup," said Will as soon as Nico opened the door, taking in Nico's costume. Nico just cocked an eyebrow and stepped out the way so Will could get in. "Seriously," said the blonde, "that's _realistic._"

"Thanks," said Nico, letting the door swing shut behind them. "You look great, by the way."

Will grinned at the compliment. "Thanks, it took a while to throw this together," he said, his voice full of mock seriousness. He was dressed as a doctor, wearing his usual scrubs but actually obeying medical regulations for possible the first time, completed with a stethoscope and a pair of sneakers.

"I can tell," said Nico, a smile twitching at his own lips. "So, how do I look?" He held his arms out as if to emphasise his outfit. Will leaned back and pretend to contemplate it for a few seconds before answering.

"Honestly? I can't tell the difference. This is just what you look like most days- blood aside, obviously," he deadpanned, but he was always terrible at hiding his amused expression.

Still, Nico played along, huffing dramatically. "_Wow. _Why am I doing this with you again?"

"I don't know, I was expecting to have to do a lot more convincing-" Will cut himself off as he gave up trying to act serious, and instead tugged Nico closer by the arm. "Seriously, though, you look good."

"Thanks," said Nico mildly, stepping closer to him. He was going as a vampire, in black clothes (that wasn't hard), fake fangs and dramatic 'blood' stains. It had taken him longer to put together than he'd ever admit, but he'd wanted to make the effort for Will. "Are we doing this party or not?"

"Sure," said Will, linking their arms together. "_But, _just in case we want to leave early, I've got some candy in Cabin 7 we can raid-"

"I am _way_ ahead of you," interrupted Nico, waving his hand towards one of the shelves behind the door. When Will turned around, he saw a pile of candy probably bigger than the whole Cabin 7 one propped up there, clearly waiting to be opened, and let out a short bubble of laughter.

"Great minds think alike, I guess," he said, tugging Nico even closer.

"Also hungry ones," Nico noted, but he was grinning. "Come _on_, let's get this over with."

The party was already in full swing when they walked in, which, to be fair, still wasn't much. The music was loud, and the lights had been turned down as low as they could go without leaving them in darkness, but people were mostly just clumped around in groups, sipping on non-alcoholic drinks. People - meaning, the Hermes Cabin – had figured out pretty quickly that alcohol was impossible to sneak into the camp, because the barrier wouldn't let it past. Presumably thanks to Mr D's unwilling sobriety.

Will privately suspected Nico could probably get some in, if asked, since he seemed to be able to sneak past the barrier every other time he shadow travelled, but it was a suspicion he kept to himself.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Will was pulled away by Lou Ellen and Cecil to talk to them, and Nico shot him a quick grin before slinking off towards the drinks and food. Will knew that no one would mind if Nico joined them, but the other boy was very stubborn about the fact that Will should get to spend some alone time with his friends without feeling bad, which Will appreciated.

Still, it meant he had to wave off the usual questions about his relationship before they got to the actual conversation – Cecil talking about their 'heist' to go get food from the nearest shop.

"Yeah, but you paid, right?" Asked Will, raising his eyebrow as Cecil described the struggle to be subtle while doing it with only three people to carry food.

The other boy rolled his eyes. "_Yes_, we paid," he huffed. "Honestly. You stereotype the Hermes kids too much. We're not all thieves."

"You've tried to pick pocket me at least three times," Will pointed out, and Cecil just scoffed.

"Only three?" Repeated Lou, raising an eyebrow.

"That I know of," amended Will, grinning.

"Water under the bridge," said Cecil, waving his hand. "Seriously. That's behind me. I'm a new man."

"Right," said Will, letting the disbelief enter his tone, and Lou raised an eye brow.

"And who, exactly, was it who pranked the latest Iris kid by stealing their _pants_ while they were changing?"

"Okay, hey-" Cecil held up his hands. "Pants don't count, alright, they're fair game for pranks-"

"_Everything_ is fair game for pranks, according to you," retorted Will, letting his eyes flicker around the room. Austin was in the corner, talking to two of the Demeter kids, and Will could see his guitar propped against the wall nearby. He knew that, at some point, Austin would pretend to be modest and flattered before grabbing the guitar and playing at least three pre-prepared pieces, like he always did. In a way, the ritual was comforting.

"Well, I'm a child of Hermes, what do you expect?" Huffed Cecil, and Will turned back to raise an eyebrow.

"I thought we weren't supposed to stereotype?"

"_You're_ not. _I _can." Cecil folded his arms, his drink sloshing out of his cup. "There's a difference."

"Right," said Will flatly, before twisting to look at the snack table. "No offence, but I need a drink-"

"And a boyfriend?" Interrupted Lou, raising her eyebrow. Will ignored her.

"And maybe some food, so if you don't mind-"

He excused himself as politely as possible, slipping through the crowd. He got stopped briefly by Drew Tanaka, who complimented his costume and joked that it must've been hard. He returned the compliment without the joke – it was a valid one, and Drew probably wouldn't like it being deflected back. Besides, he didn't know the singer she was clearly dressed as, so he kept it vague and moved past her.

He got stopped twice more, once by Katie Gardner, who kept him talking for a few minutes, and once by Damian White, for a little less time. By the time he managed to make it to the snack table, Nico was talking to Clovis, who looked seconds away from collapsing.

Still, that was generally how Clovis looked.

Will helped himself to a Diet Coke before he went over to join them, and Clovis nodded at him.

"We were discussing dreams," he said, he voice sounding thick and distant. "And the in…" he trailed off, looking briefly confused.

"The intersections of them?" Supplied Nico, lightly, and Clovis snapped his fingers.

"Yes. Yes! The intersections. The Hypnos Cabin- we're very loud. It's confusing."

"It's fine," said Nico, with a shrug. "It's not a big deal."

"Still," Clovis shrugged. "Dreams are weird."

"That they are," said Will, who was unsure of how to join the conversation, and Nico shot him a wry grin as Clovis yawned.

"Anyway," said the son of Hypnos, "I should get going. I have more people to see before I go back to sleep."

"Right," said Nico, before turning fully to Will as the other boy left. "Good to see you survived," he grinned.

"What can I say? It's my magnetic personality." Will smiled, sipping his drink. "How's it going?"

"Fine. They have really good food here. And Clovis… well, Clovis is Clovis, but he's fine."

"Good," Will bumped his shoulder gently. "I didn't know you and Clovis were friends."

"Well, more unwitting acquaintances more often than we try, but- it's complicated, I guess?" Nico shrugged. "I'll explain it later, probably – a children of the night thing. But yeah."

"'Children of the night'?" Repeated Will, snorting. "Sorry, _now _you're sounding like a real vampire."

"Oh, shut up," scoffed Nico, but he grinned.

They spent the next hour being pulled into random conversations with campers, most of which involved Nico hanging back, and stealing moments to talk between themselves when no one was nearby. Each conversation seemed to take them a little further away from the snack table (which Will pretended not to see Nico eyeing hungrily with every step, despite the bowl of Cheezo's he still held), and when Will glanced around at one point, he realised they'd nearly made it to the door.

"Hey, a bat," he observed, looking above them, a smirk already tugging at his lips. "Better kiss me under it."

"Nice try," hummed Nico, "but no."

"You're no fun." Will pouted, but he still brushed his fingers against Nico's as he leaned against the wall.

"You want kisses, hang mistletoe."

"I mean, I could arrange that-"

"No." Nico's voice was firm, but he was grinning. "Look, we could always head back to my cabin- I have snacks-"

"Are you trying to kidnap me?" Asked Will, threading their hands together properly. "My mother always said not to trust anyone offering free candy."

"Well, if you don't trust me-"

"I never said that," interrupted Will, already tugging Nico towards the door. "Come on. I want candy. And _quiet_, so we can talk properly."

Nico laughed, but let himself be tugged back to the Hades cabin. As soon as they entered, Will pulled him into a kiss, supressing a wince at the coldness of the other boy's nose.

Nico's hand tangled in the front of Will shirt, holding him in place while his other hand fumbled about the light switch. A few seconds later, the torches on the wall flared to life, and Nico broke the kiss with a sharp laugh.

"Hang on, I was promised candy for this-" he began, still giggling, but Will cut him off by twisting away and smoothly pulling the candy off the shelf in one movement.

"Here," he said, tossing it on the bed. "Candy acquired. Now-"

Nico cut him off with a soft peck on the lips. "I thought you wanted to talk?"

Will considered for a second. That was an unfair statement, mainly because it was true. "Yes," he conceded after a second, considering. "But- first, kissing. Kissing and then blankets and _then _talking, because it's cold."

"Sounds good to me," said Nico, tugging the blonde down for another kiss.


End file.
